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David

‘Mark Dowd reports from Buenos Aires on the continuing controversy over the future Pope’s record during Argentina’s Dirty War.’ It must be accepted that the BBC will bang on about this for as long as Pope Francis is Pope. It is probably also true that the BBC would have tried to discredit whoever had been elected. As a non-catholic and a lover of the BBC I find its general anti-Christian and, in particular, anti-catholic stance inexplicable.

NatOns

‘And “Godmother of Punk” Patti Smith, who prayed that the new Pope would take the name Francis, met the Holy Father yesterday at the end of his general audience.’

Dear Lord preserve us from the faint praise of ageing pop stars and media personalities – let alone former politicians.

Yet it is interesting that a doyen of the Age of Aquarius should appreciate the name of Francis (in a pope); no doubt because he was hi-jacked by hippidom, back in the day, but more so because it means something a soul who has turned to Christ (if not his Church).

An interesting – if not exactly a self-effacing – aspect of this is to be found on the always intriguing, hyper-animated, and In-Your-Face enthusiastic media witness of Michael Voris; I suspect it reduces to this: one can lead a horse to water, but one cannot force it to drink – not even if it will perish without the refreshment .. it must choose to do so; of course MV’s energetic defence of the the Faith can be irritating to those of us who are more sedate, but more power to The Vortex and is bubbling, driven, urgent message of gospel Truth (even if one would like to see rather more of the balanced, rounded and grounded humanity of the man, revealed in the clip ..)